Widowed carpenter Vincenz Olivier lives with his 8-year-old son Boubou in a small French town. But on the day he is supposed to marry the mayor′s daughter, Louise, his dark past catches up with him: Ten years ago, Vincenz – whose real name is Leon Bernier – escaped from prioson after being convicted of murdering his lover′s sister. Taking Boubou with him, Vincenz, who then and now still denies the crime, flees from the police in a desperate attempt to prove his innocence.